Life is full. I have started back up my 4:30 a.m. mornings so I can teach more and it's going okay but I'm a needs-a-lot-of-sleep kind of person so I am tired. Also, it's weird because this time last year I was doing my mock classes to interview for this job. It feels strangely familiar when my early alarm comes on and I stumble past our pumpkin decorations to the office. Can't believe it's been a year! the other weird thing this month was yet another hurricane coming through our town. We had anticipated the first for so long and got all geared up, but this one took most of us by surprise. Not that it was anything terrible, but many of our friends lost power for a day or two and we missed two days of school again! Such a strange start to the year.
(walking in the hurricane rain around the neighborhood)
Last month we had a fun visit from Mimi and GrandGene. They took the girls to the boys' cross country meet while Matt and I got to go to a concert and then Mama and I got to have a loooonnng shopping trip just the two of us, while Daddy and Matt took Allie to the Wooden Nickel for a loooonnng lunch. :) We ended the night with some Whitt's frozen custard and a showing of our new family fav: Ultimate Beastmaster.
We have spent a lot of time watching the boys run this fall. They have really enjoyed it and done well. They have many friends running so it's lots of fun to cheer everyone on. The boys still don't have that "best friend" bond I've always longed for them to have, but they are generally pretty civil and are having more and more times of just talking together or going out and playing outside together. Their newest fav game is holding big bouncy balls and running into each other on the trampoline so one or both falls down. I forget what they call it. There's really not much I'd like more than to see them showing they care about each other, but I know from experience, sometimes these things take a lot of time, humility, and maturity.
(I snapped this after church one Sunday when I made the boys run in to Food Lion for groceries. They were successful, though notice they aren't the most cohesive team!)
This pic below is my fav. I love Gray's spirit, out front, giving his all. He's had his ups and downs starting school and I'm desperately trying to figure out how to parent his tween, ADHD, unique self. We had a few rough weeks, but I think we're getting to a good-ish place and he's even showing some maturity. He's starting to take responsibility for his schoolwork and he told me the other day after a party that he stopped himself from eating too much candy because he didn't want to feel sick later. I about fainted. Sometimes I just see the little boy because he can't keep track of his stuff, neglects his jobs, and forgets the things I ask him to do, but he is really growing up. Like for real.
He was reluctant to try cross country but has really enjoyed it too. He's doing well in school, keeping his old friends and making new ones, just chugging along being pretty good at about everything he does. He gets that sullen teenager mood every now and then, but he rarely has a sharp word for anyone but his two middle siblings...and he's willing to work on that. Love my biggest boy.
Hands down, their favorite thing is playing with friends--which usually means their newest neighbors and most available friends Addie and Ava. Not a day (or sometimes hour) passes that they don't ask to play with their friends. This pic below was one morning before school. We asked her what was wrong and she said, "Addie Ava".
(how we spent our hurricane days...)
Allie loves school and is surprising us with how much she picks up on. She can count some in Chinese now after I learned in my class from "Miss Jenny" and passed it along to her. She also can tell us what days of the week she goes to preschool. She notices everything and is often the one to find things that people are searching for. She picks up on things we say too. Gray hugged her and she said, "I love you but you need take shower." We were eating breakfast this morning when she announced, "Mama, Julia loungin'!!" because Julia was laying on the couch instead of getting ready. She was sitting on the potty and I was brushing my teeth. She was chatting away and then stopped and said, "Stop bein' 'ruptin'! I tryin' talk at you!" Well then.
She loves to point out Chinese people that she sees and to talk about China. "Jesus made sun and Julia and me....and Chinese kids...and I Chinese kid!" Lately I keep being struck again by the fact that she's ours. I look at Matt holding her and think- he is really Daddy to her and she remembers no other. Wow. When I go to pick her up from her class, she runs to me and calls me Mommy. I mean, duh, but still--kinda crazy when you think about it. I told her I loved her the other day and she responded, "I you best friend."
Joshua is in the midst of the birthday that never ends. He started the night before with sushi dinner out with Matt.
Julia walking to school with Matt and the rest of her school. Each year they meet downtown and walk in together. They had to drive to get to the meeting place of course, but whatever.
Julia's mile run. About a minute slower than the spring, due to her checking on a sick friend along the way and stopping to chat a few times. I think she's got some natural ability in there if she wants to put her mind to it when she is older. She is the social butterfly of the family for sure and that's not a bad thing.
Gray went to the school Halloween dance with a few friends. He did not dance, but ate and ran around and had a good time. He was going to go as a "Dunkin' Donut", but ditched the donut part before he left.
While Gray was at the dance and the other two had birthday sleepovers, Allie, Matt, and I went out to eat at a restaurant in our neighborhood area. Allie was particularly fond of Matt's vodka pasta and snuggling with her daddy. :)
